PartyPoker launches player staking

PartyPoker launches an unusual feature in their software – player staking. It allows players to stake the other players in the tournaments. It is still in beta, but it can become really huge.

Why are we writing about it here? Well the poker staking is usually a social interaction among the players, because people must trust other players before buying some shares of their buy-ins. Present staking sites are great poker communities (StakeShark.com, ChipMeUp.com, IstakeU.com, Nordicstaking.com etc.)

PokerTime launches a new blog

When I have been doing the investigation of GOOD quality poker blogs by pros I had lots of troubles finding them. The poker room blog situation is better as more and more serious poker rooms do the social media research and start their own professional blog. I am very glad, so are the readers and players, because reading about newest promotion is soooo boring.



Let’s congratulate PokerTime with the launch of new professional Blog called MyPokerTime. The blog writes about various interesting poker issues, including news from sponsored poker pros. Hopefully it will keep that way and will not become like Poker770 blog – the promotion news only.

Juha Helppi fan page in Facebook launched

It seems Finnish poker pro Juha Helppi was introduced to Facebook and all it’s benefits.

He invited everyone to his personal fan page. Thanks Juha! let’s see if you will be active all the time in World’s most popular social network with millions of poker players. So far your updates came only once in 2 weeks.

Those who do not know who is Juha Helppi, here is some of his achievements:

1st place in € 20,000 No Limit Hold'em - High Rollers Event, EPT - Deauville
1st place in Partypoker.com Premier League Poker, Maidstone
1st place in WPT $ 300 No Limit Hold'em Main Event, Ultimate Bet Poker Classic, Palm Beach

(the list of winnings is very long)

New Facebook poker application – Poker Rivals

Zynga is the social games company which produces the biggest and huge success social games for biggest social networks. It’s main competitor is PlayFish which always try creating similar games.

Zynga has FarmVille, Playfish has Country Story, Zynga – CaffeWorld, PlayFish – Restaurant City. Zynga has Texas Holdem, so PlayFish just launched new poker application called Poker Rivals.

It is a nice poker room with similar features such as daily chips lottery, achievements, friend invitations and gifts etc. Flash client is much nicer than Zynga's (personal opinion).


Here is the table view of PokerRivals:

As you can see it has some interesting and nicely designed features. Hopefully it will become popular and good competitor to Zynga’s Texas Holdem.

$45 million for shoutbox? That’s insane!

Bwin engineers are updating the software to integrate a first social media feature in the poker software. That will cost $45 million.

The future features are described vaguely – something like shoutbox or instant messenger which should help social interaction and communication among players.

Guys, just invest a couple of million to community building in most popular social media like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and you will be much ahead of your competitors! :)

UltimateBet changes the name and logo to UB.com

Major poker rooms have and had a short names since years. Full Tillt is called FT; PokerStars – PS, PartyPoker – PP. UltimateBet was always called UB. It became so popular that management of UltimateBet decided to change the name and the logo from UltimateBet to UB.com.



With the new logo they should develop a cool social media presence. Also the URL is so short that can beat any popular URL shortener.

So far ub.com redirects to ultimatebet.com, so all the changes will be in the nearest future. What else social media guru (definitely he is the best among poker players) Joe Sebok can do?

888 goes social

It seems that 888.com with all its gambling empire finally decided to use the advantages of social media and guerrilla marketing and started their profile in Facebook.



Big poker rooms usually have lots of interesting promotions, tournaments, bad bead jackpots and other interesting information which can be posted using any RSS to Facebook application, but 888 seems to have a live person behind the Facebook updates.

Congratulations! You are 1 step ahead FullTilt in the social media rivalry!